I did the sign of the cross before I glanced back to see that the three of them hadn’t moved, but I wasn’t a fool enough to believe they didn’t know exactly where I was. They wouldn’t be expecting it though, not unless their ESP was a lot better than mine. I tested the guardrail around the balcony to make sure it was sturdy as inconspicuously as possible.
“You know what to do,” Robert started talking.
I peeked over to see that Alex still had his eyes closed, and the other two weren’t physically paying me any attention. Perfect. I pushed up onto my arms, using my foot on part of the railing to get up onto the top of it, channeling my inner cat. I had to be fast and hoped they didn’t stop me too soon.
I crouched on the guardrail and didn’t let myself peek down. What I did do was glance back again and instantly meet Alana’s gaze, and I smiled at her. Then I stood up, balancing as best as I could, and said, “Hey, Hercules?”
Alex grunted, and when I didn’t say anything again, he opened his eyes.
Time to shine. Holding my breath, I said in a rush, “Bye!”
And I jumped off the edge.
I was pretty sure I heard him curse. I think he might have even spiced it up by saying, “Dammit, Gracie,” just as I started to fall.
And in the split millisecond that my body fell—and I prayed that he either caught me or one of his siblings did, and I tried to reassure myself that I wouldn’t die if they didn’t, I might just break an arm or leg, maybe both, maybe all of them—I knew that regardless of what happened, it would be worth it.
I hoped.
He was going to be so mad if he tried to fly and couldn’t, but it was my choice.
I still wasn’t 100 percent anyway.
Somehow those thoughts managed to enter my head and leave again before I stopped falling.
I stopped falling?
Sure enough, I was about two feet off the ground. If I stretched my arm out, I could touch the mud.
I looked up and realized that I’d been grabbed by the back of my pants again.
And it wasn’t Alana or Robert holding on to me. It wasn’t The Primordial or The Centurion who had saved me.
It wasn’t The Defender either.
It was crabby-ass Alex there. Grumpy Goose Alex who muttered in midair, “I’m going to go get some pigs now just so I can feed you to them.”
I laughed, and then I lifted my arm and gave him a thumbs-up.
* * *
I looked behind the nightstand for maybe the fifth time and frowned.
Where the hell was my charger?
It had been here in the morning because I’d charged my phone overnight, and I knew for a fact I hadn’t taken it out of the room. I didn’t want to leave my stuff everywhere. It wasn’t like it could have grown legs and walked away.
Which meant…
Alex had the same brand of phone I did. He hadn’t asked for my number, and I hadn’t asked him for his either. Not that I was upset over it.
Creeping over to the doorway, I stopped and listened. There were noises coming from the direction of his study or maybe his room. I headed over, crossing my arms over my chest to hide my boobs as much as possible. The library was empty, his office door closed, but the light in his room was on. I went to the doorway, and my whole body suddenly jerked.
Alex was changing. He was in the middle of pulling his shirt over his head. Golden skin rippled. Muscles I didn’t know existed twisted and contracted as he tugged a plain gray T-shirt down that incredible body.
And he knew I was there.
Keep it together. Keep it together. Oh boy, keep it together.
